National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025, to help control immigration protests. (U.S. Northern Command)
The Defense Department on Monday night doubled the number of National Guard troops to deploy to Los Angeles, sending more than 4,000 soldiers to help protect federal facilities and personnel as the city grapples with a fourth day of immigration protests.
Hours earlier, roughly 700 active-duty Marines were ordered to the city to help quell the protests that erupted Friday in response to immigration arrests sweeping through area businesses.
“At the order of the president, the Department of Defense is mobilizing an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties,” Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, said Monday evening.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has opposed the deployment of any troops, said adding more troops is “reckless” and “pointless.”
Troops are being deployed to protect federal buildings and personnel in the greater Los Angeles area under the command of a two-star general, according to Northern Command, a joint military headquarters responsible for troops conducting missions in the United States.
Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, Calif., prepare to depart for the greater Los Angeles area on June 9, 2025. (U.S. Northern Command)
President Donald Trump on Saturday night ordered troops to deploy to the city after protests that began peacefully escalated into violence and property damage. However, Newsom had discouraged a military deployment and said local officials had the necessary law enforcement resources to control the situation.
The first 300 troops arrived Sunday from the California National Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and established operations in Los Angeles, Paramount and Compton, NORTHCOM said.
The presence of soldiers inflamed the situation, Newsom said, which led to the people setting vehicles and trash on fire, as well as stopping traffic on the 101 Freeway. Police responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and flash bangs into the crowd.
The situation appeared calmer on Monday, even as thousands of people protested near city hall. Broadcasts on national news showed people singing and calling for the release of families and an immigrant rights activist detained over the weekend.
Across from protesters, Guard members could be seen in full riot gear and carrying M-4 rifles.
The Marines sent Monday were from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division out of Twentynine Palms, a base about 140 miles east of Los Angeles, according to NORTHCOM.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday filed a lawsuit against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stating the deployment exceeds the federal government’s authority. He called the move “unnecessary and counterproductive.”
“It’s also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation’s wars,” Bonta said.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, has called for public calm during the situation and said the deployment of troops was a “deeply troubling escalation.”
“We call on Congress to act immediately,” said Roman Palomares, national LULAC president. “There must be emergency hearings to investigate the conduct of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the legality of deploying troops on American soil against civilians without proper authority or oversight.”
Federal military troops are barred from conducting domestic law enforcement activities based on an 1878 law known as the Posse Comitatus Act. However, troops have been used in recent years for crowd control during protests.
Trump used the National Guard across the country in 2020 to manage racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. In those instances, there was cooperation from state and local officials.
The nearly 3,000 troops currently working in LA could be there for up to 60 days, according to Trump’s order.
Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, deputy commander of Army North, has been placed in command of the mission that was named Task Force 51, according to NORTHCOM. Those deployed are trained in de-escalation and crowd control.
A NORTHCOM official said Monday that service members are trained in de-escalation techniques and always retain the inherent right to self-defense to a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent.
“Military members responding to civil unrest may also take actions to provide for the defense of others as well as the defense of property, using the minimum necessary force,” the military official said.
Trump said Monday that if protesters spit at troops, they can hit the person.
“These patriots are told to accept this, it’s just the way life runs. But not in the Trump administration. IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Trump wrote on social media. “Such disrespect will not be tolerated!”
The protests began in response to ICE officials conducting raids on businesses, which have been a large part of Trump’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration throughout the United States.
